The Hacker Shuffle

The Hacker Shuffle

Author: J.D. Biersdorfer and Pedro Rafael Rosado October 31, 2025 Duration: 31:44

On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J.D.  discuss — among many other things — electronic playing-card shufflers, Oreos, A.I. slop, robot hands and “Peacemaker.” Listen in on PTJ 387!

• How Hacked Card Shufflers Allegedly Enabled a Mob-Fueled Poker Scam That Rocked the NBA (Wired)

• Real Estate Is Entering Its AI Slop Era (Wired)

• Phony AI-Created Receipts Become Real Problem for Businesses (PYMTS.com)

• OpenAI reportedly developing new generative music tool (Tech Crunch)

• Oreo-maker Mondelez to use new generative AI tool to slash marketing costs (Reuters)

• The ‘Hands Problem’ Holding Back the Humanoid Revolution (The Wall Street Journal)

• Robot umpires approved for MLB in 2026 as part of challenge system (CNN)

• Trump and Xi will ‘consummate’ TikTok deal on Thursday, treasury secretary says (TechCrunch)

• TikTok may not be Chinese-owned anymore, but there still is a privacy problem (Brookings)

• Exclusive: US Department of Energy forms $1 billion supercomputer and AI partnership with AMD (Reuters)

• Apple Newsroom announcements

• Apple Readies Its First Ever Touch-Screen MacBook (Bloomberg)

• What’s Next for iPad Pro? A Vapor Chamber Like the One on the iPhone 17 Pro (Bloomberg)

• Ads likely coming to Apple Maps in 2026 (Apple Insider)

• New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year (MacRumors)

• Apple Shelves Vision Headset Revamp to Prioritize Meta-Like AI Glasses (Bloomberg)

• Google’s “G” gets a brighter look. (Google blog)

• Podcasts and News Fact Sheet (Pew Research Center)


Tune into POP | TECH | JAM for a weekly conversation that feels like grabbing a coffee with friends who are just as obsessed with the latest streaming series as they are with the inner workings of a new gadget. Hosts J.D. Biersdorfer and Pedro Rafael Rosado steer this independent audio magazine, blending sharp commentary on movies and television with insightful, accessible discussions about the technology shaping how we experience all that culture. Each episode is a deliberate mash-up, finding the unexpected connections between a trending app and a classic film, or how a breakthrough in tech might influence the next must-watch show. You'll hear thoughtful reviews, dig into news that matters across these intertwined worlds, and get a sense of the genuine curiosity and rapport the hosts bring to every topic. This podcast thrives on that energetic mix, creating a space that’s both informative and engaging without ever taking itself too seriously. It’s less a formal broadcast and more of a dynamic, ongoing jam session-hence the name-where pop culture and digital life collide in entertaining and thought-provoking ways.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 170

POP | TECH | JAM
Podcast Episodes
Tangled Up in Blue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:51
If a few lines of bad computer code from a cybersecurity company can cause an epic global IT meltdown/Blue Screen of Death festival across the Windows systems that run the airlines, healthcare, banking and other major in…
Retro Fever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:05
El Kaiser and J.D. take a walk down a repaved Memory Lane on this installment of Pop Tech Jam, discussing the growing public interest in old 20th-century analog treasures like film cameras, vinyl records — and "X-Men" ca…
AI Heats Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:56
El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the Humane AI pin's public release and its flameout with critics and consumers. But there's no slowing the wave of AI-enhanced products hurtling into the world, so this week's episode ponders j…
BADGE IN [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:13
On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. J.D. keeps the Trek vibe going with a short news roundup that includes a report on Humane's new $700 wearable AI pin that brin…
THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF ROBO-WEEBLE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:16
On this week's extra-chatty episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J.D. discuss the New York Police Department's new security robot on patrol in Times Square, as well as new artificial voice technology, iOS 17, sassy cha…
Nothin' But Bluesky Do I See [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:13
El Kaiser and J.D. discuss life after the Bird-Themed Microblogging-Service-Turned-24th-Letter-Of-The-Alphabet platform, as well as reviews of the new biography of said platform’s owner. Also in the news: A big cyberatta…
Ride of the Valkyries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:38
As August winds down and product announcements are scarce, El Kaiser dives into Season 1 of Only Murders in the Building for a properly depicted New York City apartment-living experience. In the meantime, J.D. reads up o…
SPACE WARS AND MOON BASES [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:03
Which is better — paying big bucks for the in-theater movie experience, or waiting a couple months and watching the flick at home? Are streaming services jacking their monthly prices too high for the average consumer? Wh…
Think Pink [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:04
On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser shares his love of My Hero Academia and open-backed headphones for audio-mixing. Meanwhile, J.D. goes to a movie theater for the first time since 2019 to observe the fuss over t…
"Quadio! Hie thee hither to Threads!" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:09
On this episode of Pop Tech Jam, El Kaiser and J. D. discuss the potential impact of the current writers' and actors' strikes on the entertainment industry, as well as the emergence of Threads as a challenge to Twitter i…